heltenham Festival is almost upon us as the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ gets underway next week.
With more than 200,000 set to descend on Prestbury Park across four days, the most exciting meeting of the horse racing calendar is not to be missed.
Jumps fans will be treated to 28 races, with the headline attraction being Friday’s Gold Cup where the Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs is favourite. Mullins won a remarkable 10 races over the four days last year but the biggest prize has evaded him since 2020.
An unpredictable weather forecast is adding further drama to an action-packed week, with snow, rain and sun all tipped to make an appearance in Gloucestershire. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the meet.
Cheltenham Festival 2023 dates, start times and venue
This year’s meet runs from Tuesday, March 14, until Friday, March 17, at Prestbury Park in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
There are seven races per day, with 28 in total, at 40-minute intervals. The first of the day is at 1.30pm and the last is at 5.30pm.
Cheltenham Festival through the years – In pictures
Cheltenham Festival 2023 race card and schedule in full
Tuesday, March 14
1.30: Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
2.10: Arkle Chase
2.50: Ultima Handicap Chase
3.30: Champion Hurdle
4.10: Mares’ Hurdle
4.50: The Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race
5.20: National Hunt Chase
Wednesday, March 15
1.30: Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
2.10: Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
2.50: Coral Cup Hurdle
3.30: Champion Chase
4.10: Cross Country Chase
4.50: Grand Annual Chase
5.30: Champion Bumper
Thursday, March 16
1.30: Turners Novices’ Chase
2.10: Pertemps Handicap Hurdle
2.50: Ryanair Chase
3.30: Stayers’ Hurdle
4.10: Plate Handicap Chase
4.50: Mares Novices’ Hurdle
5.30: Kim Muir Handicap Chase
Friday, March 17
1.30: Triumph Hurdle
2.10: McCoy Contractors County Hurdle
2.50: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
3.30: Cheltenham Gold Cup
4.10: St. James’s Place Hunters’ Chase
4.50: Mares’ Steeple Chase
5.30: Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle
Rachael Blackmore won the Gold Cup last year on A Plus Tard
/ AFP via Getty Images
How to watch the Cheltenham Festival 2023
There are two ways to watch the meeting on TV. ITV1 will be showing the first five races of each day for free, while subscription channel Racing TV boasts every single race.
Click here for more TV and live stream details. You can also follow all the action LIVE every day with Standard Sport’s dedicated live blog.
Chelsea Festival 2023 tickets
Tickets are still available for the meeting, starting at £55 per person for group discount tickets or £60 for single tickets.
